Sidney Crosby is in his 17th season as captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins and is playing some of the best hockey of his career. At 36 years old, he is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon. This season, he has played in 24 games and has scored 15 goals with 11 assists for a total of 26 points. There is no denying his talent, but does he belong in the same conversation as Penguins’ great Mario Lemieux?
Goal Scoring
Lemieux spent 17 seasons in Pittsburgh and played in a total of 915 games. He scored 690 goals and had 1,033 assists over the span of his career. Crosby, who is in his 18th season, has played in a total of 1,186 games and has scored 548 goals with 949 assists. On the surface, it looks like Lemieux is the better player, no questions asked. However, hockey is an ever-changing sport, and scoring goals back in the 1980s when Lemieux started playing was a lot easier than it is now.
Lemieux led the Penguins to their second straight Stanley Cup during the 1991-92 season. According to HockeyReference.com, during that year, the league average for goals-for and goals-against was 278. During the 2016-17 season, the goals-for and goals-against average was 227. That is 51 more goals that teams would score and allow back then compared to now. The argument could be made that in terms of goal-scoring, Crosby is the better player.
Passing
Lemieux’s ability to make clean, sharp passes put him in a class by himself. He was so good at distracting defenders which always gave his linemates ample scoring opportunities. In 915 games, Lemieux racked up 1,033 assists, which put him at 12th in the NHL for career assists.
Wayne Gretzky sits at the top of this list with 1,963 assists in 1,487 games. Gordie Howe ranks 10th with 1,049 assists in 1,767 games. Howe only recorded 16 more assists than Lemieux in 852 more games. If Lemieux’s career had not been interrupted by injuries and sickness, there is no doubt he would be a lot higher on the list.
Related: Penguins’ Problems Against Red Wings Signs of Larger Issues
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